Amid the worst situation, on April 17, Vice Chairman of Long An Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Minh Lam signed a decision declaring an emergency for natural disaster due to saline intrusion in the locality.
Under severe impacts of current saline intrusion over the districts of Can Giuoc, Can Duoc, Tan Tru, Chau Thanh, Ben Luc, Thu Thua, Thanh Hoa and the city of Tan An in the Mekong Delta province of Long An, many agricultural areas have been facing a shortage of water for irrigation. Notably, residents in Can Giuoc District have been in a lack of fresh water for daily life recently.
According to the National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting, from April 10 to April 20, the salinity boundary of 4‰ on the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers is expected to penetrate deeply from 90 kilometers to 110 kilometers inland.
The peak period of saline intrusion in the Southern region is likely to fall in April and May (from April 22 to April 28 and from May 7 to May 11).
The Long An Provincial Hydro-Meteorological Station predicted that from April 10 to April 20, the salinity boundary of 4‰ has extended up to about 90 kilometers to 100 kilometers in depth on the Vam Co Dong and Vam Co Tay rivers.
The districts of Can Giuoc, Can Duoc, Tan Tru, Ben Luc, Chau Thanh, Thu Thua, Thanh Hoa and Tan An city are conducting emergency measures to cope with the current severe impacts of saline intrusion, especially for both structural and non-structural works.
The Long An Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development as the Standing Committee Office of the Long An Provincial Natural Disaster Prevention and Control and Search and Rescue to chair and coordinate with relevant departments, agencies and units, as well as the People's Committees of the above-mentioned districts and Tan An city to carry out urgent solutions to ensure the safety of agricultural production, aquaculture and adequate water supply for residents.
